From Lentz to LA

Pre-Production

2012-02-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

Lindsay touched down this past Thursday, and today we put pen to paper on our first draft of a short film series starring us! We have limited talent but a bus load of time on our hands.

Enough Time Off!

2012-02-07T13:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, I look this good.

It's been so long! Let's see...

This marks the fifth week we've been in L.A. Holy smokes, now I know how old people with regrets of a life not lived feel.

I've been able to make strides at my internship and have a pretty cool project to show for it: the It Gets Better Project now has an extensive state-by-state directory of community center resources for members of the LGBT community who may be seeking information, support, or help. Check it out here. I hope it's useful to someone out there.

I've been sitting on my ass most days off either looking for post-graduation jobs (mainly in Boston because I don't know how to MOA*) or pursuing general time-wasting endeavors, of which I am sufficiently satiated for at least the remaining calendar year. But today I thought of the cutest idea for a screenplay! Once I settle the story into one or two more tangible genres, this bad boy is going to be fun to play with. I don't know how else to express how excited I am to have ideas again.

If I had enough friends to fill a dance hall, you know this would be the invite.

*Oh, and MOA is relationship advice columnist Wendy Atterberry's way of saying, "Move On Already!" when she's presented with insanely uncomplicated love issues caused mainly by Scrubs, of which I want no. This has something to do with the story I'm developing, but mostly to do with my aforementioned knack for time-wasting.

SATurday!

2012-01-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

But I might not.

I found myself in a history classroom in the iconic Beverly Hills High School this morning sweating over an SAT Spanish Subject Test. I'll need a 560 to satisfy my foreign language requirement and graduate in May. Results will come back in roughly two weeks, at which point I'll need to persuade CAS to let my 550 score from sophomore year suffice. Because lord knows I had muchos problemas today. I did, however, learn that Carlos Santana was born in Mexico and that his music resonates with multiple generations of people.

I decided to walk the four miles between Beverly Hills and PLB. Walking along Wilshire Blvd, I came across this:

The Wall Project is a public art initiative funded by the Wende Museum here in L.A. Comprised of ten wall segments from the Berlin Wall, it's the largest hunk of the famous barrier to be displayed outside its city of origin. The project was completed in 2009, and it's now out in the open for all passersby and people in line at the food trucks a few feet away to admire.

This is a view from the other side of the wall:

Amazing.

The 'Gurt

2012-01-24T22:12:00.000-08:00

Yogurtland. It sounds like an amusement park for diabetics, but this place is goo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ood. Red velvet cake + pomegranate + oreo cookies + reeses + m&ms + fruity pebbles. I have no regrets.

Partner in crime, Lindsay R, is heading out here indefinitely the second week of February to look for jobs. I'm obviously ecstatic that she and I will be in Hollywood at the same time. If anyone else wants to make the trek out here for whatever reason, my arms are open and our couch is comfy.

What I learned today:

-Yogurtland charges by the pound (but the containers they give you are HUGE... touché)

-Talent agents earn 10% of their clients' fees

-A downward deviation occurs when the judge grants a parent a decrease in child support payments (my roommates watch Teen Mom)

Also, this: CLICK HERE

Your Friend Does WHAT?!

2012-01-22T15:40:00.000-08:00

I am currently without a job and living off of some savings and my trust fund*. It's only been two weeks, so barring any unforeseen expense, I should be set to cruise in the unemployment lane for at least another two weeks before I get desperate and start playing the lotto.

Last night, I went for some carrot cake at the Cheesecake Factory (naturally) with my roommates and a friend from home who has been living in L.A. for just over a year. While talking about something I'm sure was extraordinarily interesting but right now I can't recall what, he mentioned a friend of his was able to make some impressive cash by... dating.

I assume this is what people do on dates.

There's a website called What's Your Price that acts as an online dating service where men with presumably large wallets and little time to find dates bid on prospective girls who are looking for $oulmates. This friend of a friend easily arranged a date with some businessman for $100 (including dinner) which was delivered during the dinner via an incognito birthday card.

I admire people who seize financially lucrative opportunities. Considering the transient attitudes toward dating these days, putting a price tag on a dinner out with an attractive stranger seems no more undignified for either parties than a night out at a strip club or Hooters (whose menu is appalling and whose waitresses wear thick white socks designed by Kelly Kapowski - the latter bothers me more than the former). It's all a form of entertainment for dudes whom I would imagine enjoy the convenience of velcro shoes and the comfort of worn-in Star Wars pajamas.

Good luck, girl.

It's conversations like the one I had last night that make me thankful to be in a new city. I may be wrong, but only in L.A. would the topics of escorts, plastic surgery, and drug use casually enter the conversation while I gorge myself on the unlimited bread the Cheesecake Factory spoils its customers with (What kind of bread is the brown loaf? I should have asked the waitress.). I am endlessly fascinated by this town's fascination with itself. It's a network of ambitious, opportunistic personalities that I can't help but enjoy observing.

*I just called home, and it turns out there is no trust fund.

All Groupons are Not Created Equal

2012-01-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

Aside from the sidewalk drains, the unfailingly gorgeous weather, and the constant buzz of celebrity sitings (Maria Menounos counts!), living in Los Angeles is not very different from living in Boston or in NJ. I'm walking everywhere thanks to the central location of PLB and I haven't yet ventured out into the clubs and bars just quite yet, besides drinks at the Westside Tavern last Saturday.

The one thing that does get my goat is the quality of Groupon deals available to L.A.'ers versus Bostonians and even New Jerseyans. I've had my Groupon homepage set to L.A. since coming here and all I'm getting are offers to look like Barbie. Today's deal is for weight-loss hypnosis. I have to admit I'm kind of into the new age fads of expensive programs and empty promises (I would singlehandedly support the palm reading industry if I had the money).

Considering I'm hoarding all my money for the apocalypse, I'm sticking to home-cooked meals and free events. I've been bar graphing my weekly expenses (yes I really do that) and I'm hoping to squeeze the proverbial shit out of every dime I have. Good thing I'm a looker with a heart of gold!

I Found Big Foot

2012-01-16T20:55:00.000-08:00

Dear friend and future business partner, Chris Oh!, whiskey-ed me away today on a nice stroll around the city and a stop on Hollywood Blvd for some star searching and In-N-Out burgers (which, in my opinion, could bring about world peace if they extended that darn franchise to the rest of civilization).

These prints above belong to the great Samuel L Jackson, right outside of the Chinese Theater. Which is just a few blocks away from the In-N-Out burger.

To anyone who accidentally found this blog through a search engine: Is it obvious now that I'm an American?

Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T21:57:00.001-08:00

Captured this gem on my way to the internship this morning.

Today marked the first day of my internship. I'm signed up to work there Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 11am-6pm. And I have to be honest, I can't wait to return there Monday! MLK day, you're wondering? I think the office is open, dudes, so I'll be there!

This evening I also attended an alumni panel with L.A. movers-and-shakers. The five former students shared their prior experiences with moving out here, getting jobs, and making their ways up the ranks of the film/tv industry. 'Twas very insightful.

I'm a machine! My body has been running on salads, fiber-filled cereals, and green tea. Everyone's a bit stressed from moving out here and situating themselves for the semester. I guess I'm included in that group, but I'm so hopped up from all the sleep I've been getting and the relaxing reading I've been getting to do that I think a part of me is operating on the pretense that this study abroad adventure is short-lived and I'll soon be returning to Boston in time for spring classes to begin. Sadly/happily, I'm hanging out here for the next few months. You must go on without me...

I'm making my way through a sitcom writing book, and once I finish that in a couple of days I'm going to dive into writing a spec script. I feel like I'm climbing a mountain. The only difficult part of it is that this industry is based on hypotheticals and risks. It takes a considerable amount of investment (whether we're talking financially, creatively, physically) to expect any return. But let's be honest, if anyone could put themselves in a position of overall uneasiness and discomfort and still enjoy themselves, it's me.

I miss a lot of my friends greatly and I wish I could live in my Junior year with them like a Groundhogs Day for the day drinking crowd. But this past semester has taught me a lot (or I know it should have taught me a lot) about the room I need to make in my life right now for bigger opportunities to present themselves so that I may "get all up on that."

Catch ya later,

Becky

Straight Up Now, I've Got an Internship

2012-01-11T19:08:00.000-08:00

There's this neat company called Hypomania Content that's behind the very moving It Gets Better Project. Everyone from Lady Gaga to Obama has supported the initiative, which aims to give hope to young members of the LGBT community while they navigate the suckdom that is adolescence and the negative aspects (bullying, for example) that sometimes come with it.

It's a really interesting campaign in that it originated from members of the entertainment business and therefore incorporates television and new media to spread the word and create awareness. It's a growing project that has a lot of avenues it seeks to explore in order to build upon its success thus far.

I interviewed with them today, and they offered me a position which I accepted! The office is located a brisk 1.5 miles away from PLB. If anyone knows my sense of direction, this meant I walked about 2.5 miles to get there this afternoon. My world is neither flat nor round, but filled with wormholes that lead me in the wrong direction. The environment seemed really relaxed but productive and I think it will be a rewarding experience. Check out the project and get involved in your own way.

Greetings from LA!

2012-01-09T17:37:00.001-08:00

First off, I made it! Phew.

I'm out in what google calls West Hollywood in what the kids call PLB (Park La Brea). BU set us up sweet, twelve flights above an endless amount of Ross's and Ralph's. I'm not sure yet who these men are and what they're trying to sell me, but I did wander out past the PLB walls today for some goods. What did I buy? None ya business.

This week is all about following up with companies we've contacted over the past few weeks, scheduling interviews that could lead to internships for this semester. For me that meant e-mailing companies this past weekend and biting my nails that I hear from something promising. It'll work out. I didn't buy a round trip ticket.

This is my view,

That speck in the hills is the Hollywood sign. Cool, right?

I think this semester should work out well. Donald Glover has taught me that nothing can hold me down. And especially considering Community will be absent from the lineup indefinitely, I need all the holding up (?) I can get.

Best wishes,

Becky